Gardening by Intuition

I’ve been gardening for thirty years now. Most of that time working in a large garden in a Buddhist Monastery. I believe one of my most wonderful tools is my intuition. Paying attention to the voice inside me and the voice of the garden.

How happy does the garden look when you look at it? Does it shine with good health and abundance? Or have you been neglecting it due to your busy schedule and higher priority items? How do you pay it attention? I think it’s a lot like a child or a dog or yourself, some attention everyday is best. Love it, nurture it, give it good tummy rubs, I mean weeding. Scratch it behind the ears. Check it for ticks. Play with it!

When you start working in the garden look it all over with a very general view, look up, look down, but not specifically. Don’t just jump in to some task you’ve given yourself to accomplish, then you only see what’s in front of you, small minded. Instead look even with blurred eyes, or even look in your mind before you get there. Does anything speak to you?Maybe needs attention? Looking lackluster or has a pest? Does it need some fertilizer, water, compost or just some attention? You don’t always need to use this method but it works well when you’re working a large space. Trust what you hear be it from your mind or the garden.

Like this:

2 Replies to “Gardening by Intuition”

Katie, I love this post. When I’m in the garden I often forget to lift my sight from the narrow task at hand. I like the metaphor of playing with the garden like a puppy. I get that! Sometimes throwing a stick for my dog is just what I need to see the big picture. In horse riding I’ve heard this called “Keep your eyes wide.” In other words, utilize a soft, wide gaze. “Looking” this way can help one to “listen”. Thanks for putting together this site ans sharing your wisdom and experiences.